May I speak in the name of the living God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Some of the most heated moments in history have taken place when there were differences in 'the plans'. Ranging from major engineering projects to family holidays, plans differ because of discrepancies in the details. While one group is working with one set of blueprints, another group has another set. Or a friend might be following Google maps, while I'm following an old, printed map. When this happens, conflicts of interpretation and passionate arguments may arise. But consider another situation: even when plans are clear, maps are precise, constitutions are well-formulated, people still find ways to contest these sources. This is often due to their spoken or unspoken wishes and expectations. For example, maybe you've heard something like this: "I thought we are going to have a quiet holiday, and you want to visit all these museums and shops!" This kind of situation seems absolutely trivial in comparison to the scene recounted in today's passage in Mark's Gospel.
We find here one of the most heated and embarrassing scenes in all the disciples' time spent with Jesus. Peter is at the center of this blunder. But he is not alone. Last week we considered with Helen, the passage in Mark, chapter 1, about Jesus being tempted in the wilderness. Today's passage might seem like a long jump ahead in time: from Jesus' baptism and temptation all the way to this part of his ministry. What is the connection then? Before we explore that question, let us look briefly at what has happened in between, because this will help us to understand the passionate moment between Jesus and his disciples.
A brief survey of the first seven chapters of the Gospel of Mark shows steady growth around Jesus' ministry. Thanks to his healing of various illnesses and his powerful teaching, Jesus is becoming increasingly popular, so much so that it is causing serious tension with the religious authorities. Yet Jesus often tells people not to say anything about his success. He knows the risks of his popularity attracting too much attention. So, what is the connection between the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness in Chapter 1 and Peter's notorious exclamation in Chapter 8? It can be summarized this way: the presence of conflicting plans and the explicit naming of Satan, the adversary. To better understand Peter's reaction, we need to read between the lines to tease out the risks and the consequences. Mark offers very little commentary, as he expects his readers to fill in some of the gaps and to use their imagination. We can do this partly by looking at the description of the same scene in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke (Mt 16:13-23; Lk 9:18-22). But even with those texts, we are longing for more information. What else did Jesus and Peter and the other disciples say to each other? Some films on the life of Jesus try to do this...with more or less success... But what is remarkable about this disturbing scene is that Peter is traditionally considered the main source for Mark's Gospel. Mark may have heard it directly from him.
Humanly speaking, we can understand Peter's reaction. After all, things are going so smoothly. Why would Jesus raise the question of suffering and death at this point in his ministry? Jesus had just asked his disciples who they thought he was. Peter gave the right answer: "You are the Messiah!" Wasn't this the time to celebrate? But Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone (8:27-30). Why not? It wasn't yet the right time. Not only that, but Jesus also adds that he, "the Son of Man," another messianic title (Mc 2:10, 28), would undergo great suffering, be rejected by the authorities (i.e., the Sanhedrin, cf. Mk 15:1), and be killed. What does he mean by these words? And what is going on in Peter's mind and probably in the minds of the other disciples? They might be thinking: "If you are the Messiah and we know you are, what's stopping you now? Things are going so well, why do you want to change the plans now?"
Change plans? Who said anything about changing plans? The problem lies with a misunderstanding of the plans and unrealistic expectations about the Messiah. In a nutshell, here is the problem. At the temptation, Satan's approach was: "Take power now! Rule over the nations!" (Lk 4:5-7). Now, unexpectedly, this same approach is coming through one of Jesus' disciples. Peter's mindset seems to follow this logic: "You are so popular now; the people are behind you. You need to claim what is yours, the kingdom of Israel!" So, Peter rebukes Jesus! Notice that his reaction is not as a humble disciple saying, "Jesus, I'm not sure I follow what you mean by this talk of suffering and dying. Could you clarify that please?"
And here is where Jesus says those poignant words to Peter or through Peter to Satan: "Get behind me, Satan!" In Hebrew, Satan means "adversary," so Jesus may have been calling Peter by that name because of its meaning. Many commentators, however, interpret this as Jesus recognizing the voice or intent of Satan coming through Peter. In any case, Jesus explains the reason for this strong language: "For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things." In other words, by rebuking Jesus, Peter is mistakenly preventing him from doing God's will. "Get behind me" means to step out of the way, but also that Peter should assume his position as a disciple and follow. It is interesting to note that Jesus says this while looking at the group of disciples and not Peter alone. We also notice here that Peter (and, again, probably the others) seems to have missed the very last thing that Jesus said: "and after three days rise again"! It appears that those first words about suffering and death obscured his understanding. Yet this was a clear allusion to Jesus' resurrection and victory over death. Again, we'd love to know if Jesus said more about this.
But Peter's response was perhaps predictable because of the expectations that were forming around Jesus. Other moments of misunderstanding and tension like this are found elsewhere in the Gospels. For example, Luke describes a clash between Jesus and the people in the synagogue of Nazareth. Things were going well in his speech until he started talking about Elijah and Elisha who had extended their ministries to people outside of Israel (Lk 4:20-30). That was too much. That was not what they expected, and they tried to assassinate him. Conversely, a bit later in his ministry, people wanted to hold onto him, keep him from going away, and to make him leader (Lk 4:42-44). Jesus refuses their offer. A similar example is found in John's Gospel. People were so enthusiastic about Jesus that "they were about to come and take him by force to make him king" (Jn 6:15). Again, Jesus refused. It wasn't what he was supposed to be doing. It was not according to God's plans. Who could have known these plans? Was there enough information revealed to God's people over the centuries to help them to understand what was going on? Did Jesus not spell it out clearly enough? Or were his disciples still partially blinded by what they expected and wanted to happen?
All the Gospel writers reveal that the disciples just didn't fully comprehend the situation (Mc 9:32; Mt 9:30-32 and Luke 9:45; 18:34; Jn 12:16). It was only after the resurrection when Jesus explained what had happened that they were able to grasp the big picture of God's plan of reconciliation (Lk 24:25-32, 44-49). Hints and signs of God's plan are found in various books of the Hebrew Scriptures. For example, beginning with the book of Genesis, today's reading offers some glimpses about God's desire to accomplish his plan through Abraham and his descendants. This specific covenant with them becomes the vehicle by which God would bless all nations. In our reading from Romans, chapter 4, Paul explains how we share in the faith of Abraham. In fact, our Lenten Bible studies are exploring what the prophets say about God's plan and about the Messiah. Jesus himself said: "For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it" (Lk 10:24).
Let's now look briefly at the second part of the passage in verses 34 to 38. This is where the passage becomes timely, practical, and somewhat uncomfortable. Jesus now speaks about discipleship. The revelation that Jesus was going to suffer leads to another hard question: what did that mean for his disciples and for those thinking about following him? Here again, Jesus uses direct and solemn speech. This time he turns to the crowd that was surrounding his disciples and he announces one of those paradoxical expressions that can only make sense when God turns things upside down. Jesus says, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it." Again, this is one of those hard sayings of Jesus because of its demands but also its promises. The reason for this saying was a real one: they also might suffer because of their association with Christ. And why does Jesus speak about being ashamed of him before others? Probably because of fear of persecution and even death. Sadly, an example of this can be found again in Peter who – under pressure – denies knowing Jesus (Mk 14:66-72). So, Jesus speaks in this way to help his disciples and those listening attentively to grasp what the plans really are.
When we read passages like this, we might be astonished at the disciples' lack of understanding. But if I'm honest with myself, I also wonder at my own lack of understanding and especially my lack of action with respect to what I already know. Have God's plans for the world really sunk into my mind and heart? In this complex world, we are constantly faced with the challenge to adjust our perspectives and expectations. This means setting our minds on things above by developing a greater awareness of God's perspective on the world and people. In this respect, we might wonder what "taking up one's cross" means for us today. Indeed, it's an ancient and brutal expression. If taking up one's cross means to align ourselves with Christ's path, then the things that we may lose on this path will ultimately be nothing in comparison to what we gain in him. For to be 'in Christ' means to share in his life and the joys and pains of his body, the Church. So, 'to take up one's cross', then and now, means that we also take part in his suffering, as Paul writes to the Galatians: "May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world" (Gal. 6:14).
But does this necessarily mean suffering for Christ? In our peaceful context, we might think that this ancient expression has little to say to us. Yet, bearing the name of Christ may lead us into situations that we could never imagine. Of course, we don't seek persecution, but it may well come our way. From ancient times until present, the church has always experienced moments of persecution. This week I was touched by two stories of martyrs. On Tuesday, we remembered Polycarp, the Bishop of Smyrna, who was martyred around 155 CE. It is said that he was a disciple of the apostle John. I also listened to the testimony of the Coptic Archbishop who shared about the courage of Christian martyrs killed in Libya six years ago on February 12, 2015. Indeed, persecution is not far away. The link to this striking interview is here. When I consider the faith of Polycarp and those Coptic believers, my own faith is strengthened, because they lived with a firm hope in the resurrection. Indeed, this is the perspective, the new plans, for which we are called to live, in light of the cross and the resurrection of Jesus. Amen.
James Morgan